I can still hear the sound as though it happened just yesterday. That dull metallic crash that can only happen when one automobile hits another, followed by an almost deafening silence.

It was seven years ago, at about this time of year. A 17-year-old grad student, having had far too much to drink, stole his mother’s Cadillac Seville and decided to go on a little post-celebratory joyride. Inevitably, he got in over his head and ended up T-boning a car parked in front of my house. Ironically, it too was a Cadillac...an STS sedan owned by GM that I was test driving.

It happened at about 5:30 in the morning, just as the sun was coming up, and as I stumbled over to the window to see what was going on, the driver was grinding away, trying to get the crippled car started and make his escape. By the time I put on some pants and shoes, he’d managed to get underway and was limping off down the street. But it didn’t matter. He’d pranged up his car so bad that steam was billowing out of the crushed radiator, and smoke was pouring out of the front end, where the fender was rubbing against the tire. All I had to do was follow the trail of smoke.

I caught up to him about ten blocks later, stopped by the side of the road, staring at the ground, in a drunken stupor. Naturally, he was in complete denial. "I dunno," he slurred when I asked him what the hell he thought he was doing. "What car? I dunno what you’re talking about, man." This, while he’s barely able to stand, beside a car with a stove-in grille and smoke pouring out of the front end. Luckily, the RCMP arrived moments later, saving me the trouble of having to wring his neck.

Later that day, his mother showed up at my front door and explained that her son’s older brother had also been involved in a similar mishap when he graduated from high school, three years earlier. Unfortunately, his situation did not have a happy ending and he was killed.

It’s this kind of scenario that Bridgestone Tires is trying to eliminate. Through the company’s "Think Before You Drive" program, young drivers can get involved in a series of interactive activities that cover everything from road rage to driving skills, to - naturally - tire safety. According to Bridgestone’s executive director of communications, Dan McDonald, the company gets almost a million hits on its website during the period of May to July.

"Statistically, automobile accidents are the leading cause of death of young people between the ages of 16 and 21 ....it’s not even close, and it’s been that way for years," McDonald explained from Bridgestone’s corporate headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. "In 2006, 5500 young people died this way, and over 400,000 were injured. It always spikes from about mid-May to July...when kids go to grad proms, and the weather warms up." These numbers are for U.S. drivers, but, says McDonald, they apply around the world. "Unfortunately, this problem is universal, and not just limited to American drivers."

Bridgestone’s safety programs have been around for about seven years, and the company has a kind of travelling road show that hits 15 cities a season. Through its "Driving 101" program, young drivers are given some seat time, and shown the finer points of braking, cornering techniques, what to do if you’re forced off the road, and vehicle dynamics. Professional drivers are on hand to provide expertise, and former Formula One/Indy Car champion, Mario Andretti, had a direct hand in designing the program. "Mario talks a lot about developing good driving habits from the beginning," adds McDonald. "Catching them while they’re young." To date, McDonald says over 70,000 drivers have taken the course...parents as well as kids.

Via the Think Before You Drive website, novice motorists can watch videos covering the evils of talking/texting on a cell phone while driving, seat belt safety, and dealing with distractions such as other passengers and loud music. The videos are, in fact, supplied by students. Bridgestone holds an annual contest and the top three winning videos win their producers a $5000 scholarship. Web site visitors can also win $100 in free gas and a $20 i-Tunes gift card. "We try to engage the kids in a dialogue," says Dan McDonald. "To think more responsibly and hook ‘em with rewards, and it just makes it more attractive to incentivize the thing. Obviously, we’re not going to get through to every kid, but the next time they drive, maybe they’ll fasten their seat belt or remember not to text their friends."

As for the inebriated young driver that totalled two Caddies in one shot and led me on a merry chase that spring morning, he seems to have straightened his life out. Got married, started a family, and eschewed the demon drink. In a another weird twist of fate, I actually met his wife recently (I live in a small town) and there are now two kids in the family and he’s apparently mended his ways. Funnily enough, his wife works for an automobile insurance agency.

For more info, visit: www.thinkbeforeyoudrive.org.